Video Games Plus: 'Halo 4,' the Live-Action Series

"Halo 4" Live Action Series Preview

Master Chief does more before 8 a.m. than most of us do in a day. For more proof, check out the new trailer of “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn,” a live-action digital series unveiled recently at San Diego Comic-Con.

The five-part series, which will debut on Halo Waypoint and Machinima’s new Prime channel on October 5, is supposed to set the stage for the game “Halo 4.” It follows a group of cadets training at a military academy to be the next generation of soldiers in the United Nations Space Command’s (UNSC) ongoing war with insurrectionists in the outer colonial planets.

The series is directed by Stewart Hendler (“H+,” “Sorority Row”) and written by Todd Helbing and Aaron Helbing (“Smallville,” “Spartacus”). It features a cast of established and up-and-coming Hollywood talent, including Tom Green (“Dance Academy”) as cadet Thomas Lasky and Anna Popplewell (“The Chronicles of Narnia”) as Chyler Silva.

Microsoft also just announced a “Halo 4” Xbox 360 bundle timed with the game’s release that will include a custom-designed console and two controllers inspired by the game, a standard edition copy of “Halo 4,” a wired headset, Xbox Live tokens for exclusive “Halo 4” in-game and avatar marketplace downloadable content.

The “ring of light” on the console, as well as the Xbox Guide button of the controller will also showcase a glowing blue color to match the “Halo” color scheme. No word yet on whether or not a real battle rifle is included, but we’re guessing no.

Formula One Goes Mario Kart?

Who says Formula One racing can’t be a little silly and crazy once in awhile? Racing game experts Codemasters just announced “F1 Race Stars,” a cartoonish, arcade-style kart racer zooming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this November.

From the trailer, the game resembles “Mario Kart” for people who enjoy Mario Andretti as much as they do Super Mario. It’s got authentic F1 tracks including Monaco, Silverstone and the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and larger-than-life versions of F1 superstar drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.

“F1 Race Stars” also promises four-player split-screen racing and 12-player competition alongside an extensive career mode featuring a number of championships. Look close enough in the trailer and you’ll see a speedy Red Bull Racing car about to climb a vertical race track. Whoa.

Beck Delivers Tracks for PS Vita Game

Beck is adding his two turntables and a microphone to an upcoming Vita/PlayStation 3 game. The rocker is providing three unreleased tracks to “Sound Shapes." Each of the tracks ("Cities," "Touch the People" and "Spiral Staircase") is a playable level of the game on a grand scale -- much like playing through an interactive music video -- while featuring original artwork by Steve Wilson of the production studio Pyramid Attack.

We got a chance to see “Sound Shapes” at E3, and it looks to be one of the most promising games for the Vita. You move a little blobular creature around to hit white shapes which are actually music notes. Each one you touch adds a note to the game’s soundtrack. It’s essentially a music game that plays like a platformer. Beck joins a roster of musicians that already included I Am Robot and Proud, Jim Guthrie and deadmau5.

“Sound Shapes” brings the noise to Vita and PlayStation 3 on August 7.